Applejack slid down the polished glass roof of the Stalliongrad municipal building, leaning side to side and twisting to avoid the open skylights embedded in it. Behind her a pair of burly earth stallions with crossbows clenched in their teeth slid down with significantly less grace. They narrowly avoided most of the hazards until a patch of frost on one of the massive glass panes caused the first burly grunt to swerve into the second. The collision tripped up them both, causing them to fall and shattering the glass panel they landed and sending them tumbling into the building.
Ahead of them AJ slid off the end of the roof and landed in a window cleaning rig that was strung down the roof and over the side of the building. Wish a swift kick she released a lever and the cleaning platform plummeted down toward the ground. Below a pair of an earth pony and unicorn stood in nice suits and watched as the platform fell. The earth pony and unicorn aimed fired a crossbow bolt and flash of telekinetic force at Applejack. Clutching desperately to the bottom of the carriage Applejack watched the twin projectiles pass through the space she’d been standing moments before, the magic reflecting off the mirrored glass just before the crossbow bolt struck and shattered it. As the carriage slammed to a halt at the end of its line Applejack leapt to meet the two ponies on the ground.
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“She’s good,” Rainbow Dash commented, watching on one of the numerous screens showing Applejack’s fight as the earth pony took apart her attackers with devastating and precise hook strikes and grapples.
“She’s made to be,” Twilight replied distractedly, her eyes jumping between monitors, “Pay attention we can’t afford to lose her in this crowd or we may not find her again.”
“Oh, I’m watching alright,” Rainbow answered.
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Applejack fled down the street. Behind her goons in dark suits flooded out of the building and broke into groups to look for her. She took the opportunity to duck behind a newspaper stand. Dark gloves, hat, boots, all were discarded and pushed under a bench next to the stand, her jacket she flipped inside out to expose the red inner coat instead of the black. Dropping a few bits she grabbed a newspaper sat down on the bench in front of the discarded clothes and opened the paper to read it casually. Moments later the goons ran past her, never noticing just another citizen of Stalliongrad abusing their natural cold resistance to walk around in the chill air with nothing but a coat on. Applejack’s sigh of relief came out in a puff of misty white breath.
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“They won’t find her,” Rainbow said blithely.
“Not once she’s got a chance to hide. She’s too well trained. We need to bring her out,” Twilight said looking at Rainbow. Unspoken words flew between them as they exchanged a glance, and Rainbow nodded and walked away from the bank of monitors the others sat watching.
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Applejack flipped mattresses and ripped open drawers, generally opening and upending anything she found in the small apartment as she passed through it, looking for anything to find out about the owner. She’d found the address in her wallet earlier and it was the only lead she had to find out what was going on. Finally she arrived in the bathroom and the tank of the toilet was full of paydirt. She found travel documents. The names on each different but the picture on them the same; an orange earth pony mare with blonde hair and a spattering of freckles across her face.
Picking up the documents for closer inspection she turned to return to the living room and ran headfirst into a blue pegasus with a rainbow mane.
“Alright Applejack, time’s up. Test’s over,” the unfamiliar mare said.
Applejack blinked and rubbed her head, “Who’re y- Wait… Rainbow? I’m… I’m Applejack!” Applejack stared at the pegasus with shock in her eyes.
“Pull it now,” Rainbow said to some unseen individual.
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Applejack winced as the cold light of a Stalliongrad winter was overridden in her eyes as the helmet was pulled off her head to reveal the warm light of the Ponyville library. The silver sheet of paper of the helmet momentarily held the last image she saw in Stalliongrad before going blank. Beside her Rainbow sat up as a similar helmet was removed from her head.
“Aww,” someone complained, “Already? I barely had time to get popcorn.”
“We can finish the rest of the movie the normal way in a bit, Pinkie. This was just a quick test to see if we’d ironed out all the bugs,” Twilight said to someone Applejack couldn’t see, “How’re you feeling Applejack?”
“Sore,” she replied, stretching, “It was weird. I really thought I was in it.”
“You were so COOL as Winter Borne, Applejack. The way you beat up those guys and ran around. We should totally watch the whole Borne Trilogy tonight. Oh, or maybe we should wait til Applejack was really cool. Like cooler than the actor who actually played Winter Borne.”
“Pinkie, why don’t you go get the other movies while we check out AJ alright?” Rainbow pled with the pink pony.
“Oh, good idea. I’ll be right back. With more popcorn. And SNACKS.” Pinkie disappeared in a cloud of what was probably powdered sugar she naturally produced and was gone.
“Well,” Twilight said watching this, “Except the part where we still have to send somepony in to get you out I’d say the Mind Movie Injection Mechanism is a success wouldn’t you, Applejack?”